Phantoms
by ShirukuKage
Summary: When stranded after a car crash how will Allen, Kanda, Lavi, and Lenalee keep themselves occupied until help arrives?  Tell ghost stories, of course.  My tribute to Halloween, I hope it's somewhat enjoyable!
1. Chapter 1

Phantoms

Chapter 1

The Beginning

**Rated: T Probably lower but I'd rather be safe than sorry.**

**Warning: none.**

**Disclaimer: I own none of the characters used nor do I have any rights to the book I read to get the inspiration for these stories. The book "Phantom Animals" was written by Daniel Cohen.**

Let me start by saying that this story is one of the reasons that I'm being so slow to bring out the next chapter of "Spiral".

These chapters will be short but I'm releasing them as a set for Halloween. The ghost stories used will be based on "true" ghost stories, though I will obviously be changing some aspects to make them fit into this story. As with all of my stories this has no Beta, so please forgive (and/or point out) the errors that I might avoid or fix them in the future.

0.o

A gentle breeze floated through the woods shaking the tree branches and sending the leaves into a delicate dance. On it lingered the scent of a previous rain but the quite of the moment was ruined by groans that cut through the once peaceful night.

"What in the world happened?" A light feminine voice asked.

"I had to swerve to avoid a dog," the normally humorous voice of the red-headed driver replied in a dazed toned.

"What dog? I didn't see anything," the third voice coming from a shy boy spoke hesitantly.

"Don't be an idiot, there was no dog. The tire blew out is all," the fourth person in there group answered roughly, biting back another groan as he rose to his feet.

After the others rose with varying grunts and groans of their own, they gathered near their dark-haired friend as he surveyed the damaged car lying in a small ditch, its front crushed and partially wrapped around the tree in front of it.

"We were lucky that we were thrown free," the dark-haired girl spoke her voice coming out more calmly.

"Is everybody okay? Lenalee, Lavi, Allen." The rough voice cut sharply through the night again as he looked from one to the other and took in their conditions. Dark-hair, red-hair and rare white/silver-hair all bobbed in the night as their owners nodded affirmative, though Allen gripped his left arm a bit awkwardly and the others looked a bit shaken up they seemed in pretty good condition all things considered.

"What do we do now, Kanda?" The shy pale-haired boy, Allen, asked in a still shaky voice as he gazed between the remains of the car and the dark long-haired man, now identified as Kanda.

Kanda frowned a little as his hand went to the place on his belt that his cell phone usually hung from, finding it empty he asked the others. "Does anybody still have their phone?"

Lenalee looked but couldn't find her purse, while Lavi quickly checked his pockets and he quickly discovered that he didn't have his either.

"Should we check to see if they're in the area?" Allen asked as he stood by Kanda looking nervous, nobody minded that he did search for a phone as they knew that he didn't have to money to purchase one.

"Don't be stupid," Kanda snapped at him in irritation making Allen flinch slightly.

"I'm afraid it wouldn't do any good, in this place they could be at our feet and we'd still never see them," Lavi spoke gently.

Indeed looking around with all of the leaves on the ground one could be standing almost on them in broad daylight and never notice them.

"So what _do _we do then?" Lenalee asked seeing that Allen was too afraid of making Kanda angrier to ask again.

"Let's get away from the car the smell's giving me a headache," Kanda grunted back in reply.

The others agreed readily as from the smell the radiator had apparently cracked, sending coolant onto the engine to be burnt off, resulting in a thick cloying scent that was easily overpowering them.

"We shouldn't go too far though, if someone else comes along we want to be able to see and hear them," Lavi put in as Kanda started to walk away.

"How about over there," Allen spoke, pointing to the small incline on the left of them. "We might not be able to see the car but we should still be able to see the road and we'll be more protected from the wind."

The wind was indeed starting to pick up, the branches and leaves now beginning to clash together. Slightly shivering the others quickly made their way to the small hill.

"I'm freezing. I wish that we had a fire or at least a blanket," Lenalee said, giving a small pout as she wrapped her arms around her bent knees trying to get warmer. Lavi took the hinted offer and pulled her to his side and sharing his warmth with her by winding his arm around her shoulders.

Allen nodded in agreement as he curled himself into a tight ball taking care to avoid further aggravating his arm and fought off the shivers wracking his small body. 'This is certainly not the way I was expecting the night to go when I got Lavi's invitation.'

"Well, I don't think that we'll be making the party but I really hope that somebody comes along soon," as if answering Allen's unspoken statement, Lavi spoke his voice somewhat muffled because of his hunched position around Lenalee.

"I wouldn't count on it," Kanda snorted, his voice sounding between amusement and disgust. "Everybody else is either at a party of their own somewhere or at home asleep."

It was probably a safe assumption considering that it was almost around 11:30 pm on the night before Halloween. Their party was set to begin at midnight and, because it was the weekend, was set to keep going well into Halloween itself.

After another heavy gust of wind left them all shivering again Allen hesitantly spoke again, "Isn't there a lighter in the car?"

A stunned silence fell among their little group as it dawned on them that there was indeed one.

"I can't believe I forgot about it," Lavi exclaimed.

"Kanda, can you go and get it?" Lenalee asked, a pleading look in her eyes.

"Why can't Lavi get it, it's his car."

"Because I'm cold and I don't want to freeze more," she stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Then what about Allen?" Kanda asked stubbornly.

"He came up with the idea, he shouldn't have to retrieve it. Besides you can't ask him, look at how cold he is already." Pausing to give said boy a gentle look as he shivered again she gave the coup de grace. "He'll get sick if he doesn't get warmer soon. You don't want that, do you?"

Kanda could only give a muted growl as he got to his feet and headed back to the car to retrieve the lighter.

"Get a pit started, we don't want to burn the forest down!" He snapped over his shoulder.

0.o

Though Kanda was looking a bit paler when he returned to the group the overall mood was considerably more cheerful now that they crowded together around a fire blazing in the make shift pit.

"What should we do to pass the time now?" Allen inquired.

Their last activity of "I spy" didn't end well when Lavi keep using leaves as his item and Kanda threatened to feed him to the flames.

"Hey, I've got a great idea!" Lavi proclaimed proudly.

"I'm going to kill you if you even think of mentioning the word leaf," Kanda promised darkly, while Lenalee and Allen giggled.

"Oh, come on I've seriously got a great idea, I promise," Lavi insisted with shining eyes, waiting in anticipation while the others became more curious.

Allen was the first to break the hush, "What is it?"

"We should tell ghost stories!"

A brief moment passed among them as they took in his idea, even Kanda was wearing a thoughtful expression.

"That's not a bad idea," Lenalee agreed clutching Lavi's arm and catching his excitement.

"I will help to pass the time," Allen agreed happily.

"Not bad, Lavi." Lavi's face broke into an even bigger smile at Kanda's comment.

"Plus it will help take our minds off the cold," Lavi nodded assuredly to himself.

"Idiot, ghost stories are supposed to give you the chills."

Lavi's face fell briefly at Kanda's statement but he quickly recovered his grin as he looked at the others, "so who wants to go first?"

0.o

A/N: The ghost stories start in the next chapter I hope that you'll enjoy them.

Feedback is appreciated. If you don't like it it's fine but please give me a reason so that I may try to fix or avoid the faults in the future.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Omen of Doom

**Rated: T Probably lower but I'd rather be safe than sorry.**

**Warning: none.**

**Disclaimer: I own none of the characters used nor do I have any rights to the book I read to get the inspiration for these stories. The book "Phantom Animals" was written by Daniel Cohen.**

A/N: The characters in the ghost story told will not be formally named however the descriptions should (hopefully) seem familiar, that is intentional. As with all of my stories this has no Beta, so please forgive (and/or point out) the errors that I might avoid or fix them in the future. Now for the ghost stories to begin.

0.o

"I'll go first!" Lenalee exclaimed, almost bouncing as she spoke.

"This story happened long ago in at place called Bala Lake-"

"Where's Bala Lake?" Allen chimed in abruptly, interrupting Lenalee.

"It's in Wales," Lavi answered quickly as he felt the irritation at being interrupted expressed by Lenalee's hunched shoulders.

"As I was saying," Lenalee quickly resumed as she got back into her story mode. "At one time the lake didn't exist, it used to be a dry valley and this valley was the site of the castle of a cruel and oppressive earl. The earl had long been tormented by a ghostly voice telling him to stop his evil ways or 'Vengeance will come.' The prince treated the voice, as he treated most things, with contempt."

Here Lenalee paused looking around to confirm that she had everybody's utmost attention as well as to check that nobody was going to interrupt again.

"The earl had waited many years for the birth of a son and heir. And when his wife finally did have a baby boy, the earl ordered a great celebration to be had at his castle. There was to be a lavish feast, an unending flow of wine with music and dancing that was to go on all night. One of those invited, indeed ordered, to attend and perform at the celebration was an extremely talented Harper."

Lenalee paused again and looked at the others as Kanda let out a quiet but amused laugh and Allen let out a small squeak. Looking closely she noticed that Lavi was drawing his foot back from where it had hit Allen's leg. Allen's face carried a mildly embarrassed look as he mumbled an apology; Kanda's face still looked amused, while Lavi's face carried a mix of both expressions.

"You have another question, Allen?" Lenalee considering herself to be a smart woman quickly grasped the situation presented in front of her.

"Um…what's a harper?"

Again Lavi's immense knowledge came to the forefront as he answered for Lenalee.

"A Harper is a man who sings traditional songs and ballads and accompanies himself on the harp. There are still a few harpers in Wales today, but centuries ago the Harper was considered an essential part of every major celebration."

"Oh, okay." Allen quickly nodded his understanding and to signal Lenalee to continue her story.

"Now the Harper in this particular account was a tall dark-haired male and he was very well known, but at the time was also little ill. After several hours of playing and singing he was worn out and found a quiet corner in which to rest.

"As he sat there trying to recover his strength, he heard a voice whisper in his ear, 'Vengeance, vengeance!'

"When he turned to see who was talking to him, he was astonished to discover a small pale figure with white hair. The figure lingered near him then raised its face to reveal that it was a male with a look of sorrow and appeal in his eyes, and then he began to walk slowly toward the door. Somehow the Harper knew that he was being asked to follow and did so immediately, without even bothering to take his harp. The figure led the old man beyond the castle walls where every few moments he could hear the cry 'Vengeance, vengeance!'

"The moors were considered to be extremely dangerous, particularly at night when you couldn't see where you were going. Yet in some mysterious way the figure seemed to know that safest path and led him through without pause or hesitation. The Harper couldn't help but to notice that the farther they went the louder and more insistent the cries of 'Vengeance, vengeance!' became.

"Finally, when they reached the top of a hill overlooking the valley, the poor Harper was too exhausted to go on. So he stopped to rest and at this point the pale figure that he was following disappeared as did the cries of 'Vengeance, vengeance!' Blind to all but the moon and the dark of night, the Harper could only rely on his sense of hearing and what he heard was what sounded like the loud murmur of a rushing brook.

"The Harper suddenly realized he had done a foolish and dangerous thing. The earl would be furious when he found out the he had left the celebration without permission. Everyone feared the earl's anger. But there was nothing to be done about it. The man knew he would never be able to find his way back through the moors to the castle in the dark. He would have to await daylight, and the earl's rage.

"The exhausted Harper could only fall asleep. When he awoke the sun was already up and revealed an astonishing sight. The valley where the castle had once stood was now a lake. During the night it had been completely flooded. And there, floating on the surface of the lake was the old man's harp."

The almost quiet of the windy night briefly greeted Lenalee before Lavi broke out in applause for her. Kanda sat calmly while looking mildly impressed and Allen just sat in a stunned silence.

"That was great Lena!" Lavi proudly proclaimed.

"Thank you," Lenalee said with a bit of pride seeping through her voice.

"It will take a lot to top that!" Lavi assured her bringing a beaming smile to her face.

As it seemed that their sappy talk would continue Kanda was more than a little pleased when his groan brought them out of their mushy world.

"Well, it's now officially Halloween," Lavi spoke taking the hint that Kanda conveyed and moving the discussion along.

"And there's still no sign of anyone coming either," Lenalee complained with a frown now gracing her face as she stared at the dwindling fire.

"Do you think that we should just start walking and try to get back home?" Allen asked not really wanting to go walking at night through the woods but also not liking the way the fire looked as another strong gust threatened to extinguish it permanently.

"What would that accomplish?" Kanda grumbled, "We should just stay here. Anyone coming by would see the fire easier than they would see us. Just look around for more branches so we can keep this fire going."

"But we might get help sooner if we leave, besides at this rate the winds going to blow this fire out and won't allow us to start or keep another one going." Allen bravely pressed on.

"No, we should just stay here and wait for help to come and tend to this fire and not let it go out while we wait." Mind made up Kanda settled more firmly on the ground.

"There's more than just you here Kanda, we're in this together so we should vote on whether to stay or go."

"There's nothing to vote on. If you want to keep everyone together then we're staying here."

"Kanda, I can't help but notice that you're being exceedingly stubborn about the issue of staying here." Allen's mouth snapped shut as Lavi broke in.

"Hn, it's nothing. I simply don't want to go traipsing mindlessly through the freezing night, especially when we could achieve the same results by staying here." Kanda merely shrugged in feigned indifference.

"Hmm, if you say so," Lavi murmured clearly not believing him.

Before it became too uncomfortable the silence was broken by Lenalee, "So what _are_ we going to do?"

"We are going to stay right here and wait for help to arrive," Kanda's voice clearly leaving no place for disagreement.

Tired of the arguments Lenalee decided to voice her next question to seem more like a compromise than a defeat, "Should we continue with the stories then?"

Nods abounded as Lavi and Allen grew tired of Kanda's stubbornness and tried not to notice his triumphant smirk.

"So who's going to go next?" Lenalee asked tiredly while silently hoping that someone found them before things got worse.

0.o

A/N: This story was based on the story "The White Bird of Doom". The changes of course begin with the pale figure (Allen) taking the place of the White Bird, the Harper (Kanda) carried no name but was actually an elderly man and the earl (Earl, duh) in the story was substituted for an evil prince who was also nameless.

I hope that the format I used when showing extended talk, during the ghost story, was done correctly. I have seen many other (and greatly varying) formats and as none looked quite right I am unclear as to which is correct. This is the format I will be using throughout if it is wrong please feel free to correct me (I may not change it immediately but I will try to do so in the future).


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The Fox of Crank

**Rated: T Probably lower but I'd rather be safe than sorry.**

**Warning: none.**

**Disclaimer: I own none of the characters used nor do I have any rights to the book I read to get the inspiration for these stories. The book "Phantom Animals" was written by Daniel Cohen.**

A/N: This story will be a sort of crossover with Naruto. The characters given names should make them seem familiar to those that know Naruto but no real knowledge of that show is necessary. As with all of my stories this has no Beta, so please forgive (and/or point out) the errors that I might avoid or fix them in the future. Now, on with the ghost story.

0.o

"Me next, me!" With his hands raised from Lenalee's shoulder and waving them like mad, Lavi really looked more like an ill-mannered puppy than anything else as he almost bounded to his feet.

"Fine, just get on with it," Kanda growled in irritation at his too familiar antics.

"This one took place in the early seventeenth century, during the superstitious and violent time reign of James I of England and witchcraft was considered serious business. Merely being accused of witchcraft would result in arrest, trial and punishment—often death.

"Anyone could be suspected of witchcraft but old women who were poor and lived on the fringes of society were particularly vulnerable. In the tiny village of Crank, in the county of Lancashire, there lived such an old woman named Tsunade. She was a foreigner, though no one seemed sure where she had originally come from. She lived in a little cottage alone, except for her grandson, a child named Naru. The old woman made a small living by concocting herbal remedies, which she sold to the villagers. Though the only potions she was known to have sold were medicinal, there were rumors that she also made poisons and engaged in other black arts—that in fact she was a witch. Most people in the village stayed away from her cottage unless they needed one of her remedies.

"Also living in the village at the time was a rather repulsive character named Jiraya, who was known to be both violent and miserly. When he came down with a seemingly fatal and incurable disease, he went to the old woman for one of her medicines. Though he paid what he considered an enormous amount of money for the potion, it didn't help. In fact, his condition actually seemed to get worse. Jiraya became convinced that not only had the old woman cheated him, she was actually trying to poison him with one of her witch's brews.

"According to a popular belief of the time, the best way to break a witch's spell was to bleed the witch to death. Jiraya enlisted the aid of a fellow in the village whose character was, if anything, worse than his own. Orochi, who made his living as a poacher, had actually been thrown out of the army because of his bad character."

"Why would being kicked out of the army make him a worse character?" Allen broke out of his mild trance to ask; knowing that unlike Lenalee Lavi would enjoy the interruption as it gave him a chance to show off his intelligence.

"Well, you see Allen; in those days the British army was filled with criminal types—and to be thrown out was an unusual and dubious distinction." Lavi stopped to see if Allen had more to question and seeing the comprehension on his face knew that he was safe to continue on.

"One night Jiraya and Orochi put on disguises and set out for the old woman's cottage. She was asleep when the two burst in so they dragged her from her bed and cut her arm, causing a gush of blood. The old woman cried out, and her grandson, Naru, who had been sleeping in the next room, awoke. He was badly frightened and grabbed his beloved pet fox for comfort. It was a very pale red fox with large slightly drooping ears. Clutching the fox, he went into his grandmother's room and saw the two men. They saw him too. Still holding the rabbit tightly, Naru turned and ran out of the house, with Jiraya and Orochi in hot pursuit. He disappeared over the crest of a hill, and when his pursuers got to the top they found only the fox. Swearing, Orochi killed the poor animal with a single kick. By that time, however, the boy was gone. Jiraya and Orochi decided that now that there was a witness they had better not try and return to the old woman's cottage.

"While they abandoned their plan to murder the woman they believed to be a witch, they still were responsible for a death. When Naru ran from the cottage in terror, he fell into a ditch and hit his head. The next day a farmer found his frozen body."

Lavi paused briefly as a strong gust of wind threatened to cause their fire to disappear. Looking at the others' faces after it calmed down he could only grin at what he considered an added bit of atmosphere and continue with his story.

"The only person who could possibly connect Jiraya and Orochi with the child's death was Tsunade. And though she suspected who the assailants were, she could not clearly identify them since they had been in disguise. Besides, few in the village would have been willing to take the word of a woman who was generally thought to be a witch, and a foreigner to boot. No matter how vile their reputations, Jiraya and Orochi were local men. After poor Naru's funeral the old woman moved from the village forever.

"There the matter would have ended, were it not for the small fox. Orochi was making his way home one day when he saw a fox lopping across the fields. Pale red foxes were not common pets in the seventeenth century. Indeed, Naru's pet was the only pale fox that most of the people of the village of Crank had ever seen. Orochi was absolutely certain that what he saw was the ghost of the fox he had killed just a few days earlier. He ran home and locked the door behind him. He was able to shut the creature out of his house, but not out of his mind. He began to avoid going out for fear of seeing the creature. The fox and the crime connected with it began to weigh heavily on his mind. After a few weeks he could take it no more. He described what he had done to some of his friends. The following morning he was found at the bottom of the local quarry. He had either jumped or fallen in, perhaps while running away from something.

"With one witness against him moved away and the other dead, Jiraya felt safe. But his health continued to decline. He became more sullen and miserable by the day. One night while he happened to be passing the old woman's cottage, he looked down and saw a large red fox trotting alongside him. The sight panicked him. He ran, but the fox ran too, easily keeping pace. When he stopped, the fox stopped. Terrified and desperate, Jiraya took off across the open fields towards his him, with the fox matching him stride for stride. A few yards from his home he collapsed with fright and exhaustion. His neighbors found him an hour or so later and took him inside. He lingered for about a week raving about a pale fox before he finally died."

As Lavi winded up his tale he could resist adding a further flair to his story, "even today people in the area say that 'the pale fox of Crank' can be seen on dark nights and it's considered very bad luck to catch a glimpse of this particular phantom."

"Wow, Lavi that was really good." Lenalee murmured.

Lavi couldn't help but to grin wider as he saw her grip her arms tighter whether from the cold or the story he was happy. Allen only nodded speechlessly and Kanda laughed out loud at Lenalee and Allen's obvious reactions.

"So," Kanda spoke smugly. "I guess that I'm next."

0.o

A/N: This story was taken from "The White Rabbit of Crank" and there were many details that were changed. The old woman was actually unnamed in the original and the child was actually her granddaughter named Jenny. Jiraya's character was a man named Pullen while Orochi's character was a man named Dick Piers. Yes, I know that the character description for Pullen didn't really fit Jiraya but I wanted to keep the Sannin together.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The Terror of Le Gevaduan

**Rated: T Probably lower but I'd rather be safe than sorry.**

**Warning: none.**

**Disclaimer: I own none of the characters used nor do I have any rights to the book I read to get the inspiration for these stories. The book "Phantom Animals" was written by Daniel Cohen.**

A/N: Not much to say, its Kanda's turn this time. As with all of my stories this has no Beta, so please forgive (and/or point out) the errors that I might avoid or fix them in the future. Now, for the story to begin.

0.o

"What do you know about werewolves?" Kanda gave a glance at those surrounding him. Lenalee merely shrugged while Allen looked a little baffled but Lavi grinned widely.

"Throughout history there have been many tales of werewolves. Most of these tales are legends—stories that have little or no basis in fact—though people may have believed them. A few of history's werewolves were murderous madmen, who thought themselves to be wild animals and tore their victims apart-" Kanda decided to interrupt Lavi before he could enter full lecture mode and disrupt the somewhat unnerving atmosphere that had finally been created.

"My story takes place in the rugged mountains surrounding a village called Saint Etienne de Lugdares and occurred over a three year period beginning 1764. It's in France." Kanda paused briefly to give Allen a pointed glare. Taking the hint, he wisely kept his mouth shut and let Kanda proceed with his tale.

"In mid July the body of a young girl was found in one of the valleys, her heart had been torn out. That was the first recorded killing in the reign of terror by a creature that came to be known as the Beast of Le Gevaduan. Within a few days there were several more killings of children reported.

"The killings spread panic among the peasants. They gathered their children and left the livestock to fend for itself. But a few weeks passed without any additional killings, and life seemed to return to normal.

"Then, late in August, a peasant woman from the village of Langogne reported that she had seen a fantastic creature. It walked on two legs like a man, but it was covered with short reddish hair and had a pig-like snout. It was a big as a donkey and had rather short ears and a long tail. The woman said that the creature had frightened off her dogs, but had itself been frightened by her cattle, which attacked it with lowered horns.

"The description sounded so fantastic that even the most superstitious among the peasants laughed at it. They stopped laughing within a few days, however, when the monster was reported again. This time the witness was a man known for his courage and truthfulness. He fired at the creature with his musket, but either the shot missed or the creature was unaffected by the bullet."

"Duh, everyone knows that you can't stop a werewolf with regular bullets," Lavi chuckled loudly before Kanda's glare aimed at him. "Heh, sorry. Keep going."

"Anyway the murders of children began again. Many who had been taken out of isolated pastures after the first alarm had been allowed to return and now some of them fell victim to a creature that killed and mutilated. Not surprisingly, rumors began to circulate that region was afflicted by a loup-garou-"

"That's what they call the werewolf in France," Lavi quickly clarified as he caught a glimpse of Allen's confused frown. Allen nodded a quick thank you to Lavi before Kanda gave an annoyed growl.

"If I could continue," glancing at the others faces in the flicker of the fire he gained affirmative if meek nods from them all before believing he could actually do so.

"Word of the murders in Le Gevaduan reached the king. He dispatched a company of soldiers to deal with the beast. The soldiers arrived in February 1765. Almost immediately they encountered the creature—or something. They opened fire on it, but it ran off into the underbrush and could not be located. There were no more killings for a few weeks. The soldiers assumed that they had mortally wounded the beast, and that it had crawled off to some hidden place to die. They returned to the palace at Versailles to report to the king that they had successfully completed their mission. The report was premature.

"As the weather warmed up and the children were again sent to the mountains to tend the cattle and sheep, the killings started all over again. The king received another urgent appeal but this time he was slow to respond. It wasn't until early in 1766 that a second military expedition was sent to the area. The soldiers killed a large wolf which they confidently declared to be 'the Beast of Le Gevaduan.' They marched back to Versailles in triumph, and once again the king declared the emergency was over. Too bad once again he was wrong.

"The beast continued to stalk Le Gevaduan, and several villages were actually abandoned because of fear of the monster. Finally in June 1767, nearly three years after the killings had begun; a local nobleman organized a huge party of hunters and swore that they would not rest until the monster really had been killed.

"On Jun 19 the beast was surrounded in a patch of woods at Le Sogne d'Auvert. One of the hunters, a man named Cross, had a gun loaded with silver bullets."

"Because according to their traditions, only a silver bullet can kill a werewolf," forgetting Kanda's wrath Lavi excitedly broke in again.

"Lavi, I swear to God if you don't stop interrupting me I'm going to find the biggest branch around and beat you with it!" Kanda snarled.

"And where will you get that from? Your as-"

"Lavi! Please don't be vulgar," Lenalee cut through their argument but it was still hard to miss the suppress laughter in her voice.

"Um, perhaps you should finish your story Kanda." Allen cautiously spoke up to try and prevent further angering Kanda.

"Fine," Kanda took a deep breath to calm himself down as he tried to remember where he was in the story. "When he saw the beast he fired two shots. The second struck the monster in the heart and it fell dead. The carcass was then carried from village to village as proof that the terrible beast finally was really dead."

Lavi still not showing a fear of Kanda cut in again. "Unfortunately, the accounts are not clear as to just exactly what the thing looked like or where it was buried. Though most descriptions make it sound like a very large but strange-looking wolf, with close cropped ears and unusual hoof-like feet."

"So what was the Beast of Le Gevaduan?" To Lenalee it seemed that Kanda's story was concluded so she asked the question that had plagued her.

Again Lavi chose to try and impress her by flaunting his knowledge. "Some believe that it was just a large and exceptionally ferocious wolf, or perhaps several wolves whose killings were all attributed to a single creature by the frightened peasants. The peasants may also have exaggerated the extent and nature of the killings, attributing unrelated deaths to the beast.

"One theory holds that there was an outbreak of rabies among the wolves of Le Gevaduan, and that the disease is what caused them to behave in so vicious and uncharacteristic a manner because normally wolves avoid human beings.

"Others say the beast was really a man—a homicidal madman who was never really caught but died at about the same time Cross shot the wolf.

"And then there are those who think that the Beast of Le Gevaduan was exactly what the peasants thought it was, the loup-garou—the werewolf.

"In any event, this is among the most intriguing and best documented of all werewolf accounts."

"Wow, that was a really good story Kanda." Allen's praise cutting Lavi's rambling off as he and Lenalee nodded in agreement. Kanda merely shrugged his shoulders in indifference yet even in the faint light of the fire his eyes held a sparkle of joy at the acknowledgement.

"So," Lavi spoke with clear glee while turning to Allen, "that just leaves your story."

0.o

A/N: This story was called "The Beast of Le Gevaduan". The man who shot the Beast was actually named Jean Chastel. While no one seems to know where the remains of the monster were buried, tourists are still shown the spot where Chastel is supposed to have felled it. His gun can be seen in the church at Saint Martin-de-Bouchaux.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The Rats of the Rhine

The Finale

**Rated: T Probably lower but I'd rather be safe than sorry.**

**Warning: none.**

**Disclaimer: I own none of the characters used nor do I have any rights to the book I read to get the inspiration for these stories. The book "Phantom Animals" was written by Daniel Cohen.**

A/N: As with all of my stories this has no Beta, so please forgive (and/or point out) the errors that I might avoid or fix them in the future. Again not much to say, except that now its Allen's turn. This is also the end, I hope that it was an enjoyable read (even if only slightly). Now, for the story's conclusion.

0.o

"Well, have you heard the story of the Pied Piper of Hamelin? He rid the German town of Hamelin of rats. Then when he wasn't paid for his services he led the children of the city away as well." Allen paused to make sure that everyone knew what he was talking about.

"You're going to tell us a story about rats?" Kanda asked incredulously.

Allen nodded his head affirmatively, "today rats are a nuisance, and sometimes worse. But in medieval Europe rats were a constant and very serious threat."

"Yeah, they spread disease and they destroyed food. When food stocks were already low, rats could bring on a famine." Lavi tried to defend Allen by giving a little more detail for Kanda's sake.

"That's why there are many legends about the nearly supernatural power of rats. Here is one of the grimmest of them." Allen began his story a little too enthusiastically in his desire to create the same eerie mood that the others had created with theirs.

"One year the usually rich provinces of the Rhine Valley in Germany were struck by terrible rain and hailstorms. The wheat in the fields, which was ready for harvest, was broken and rotted quickly on the damp earth. Soon the poor had exhausted their limited reserves of food and faced starvation.

"The most powerful and richest man in the stricken region was Bishop Leverrier. Despite his title the bishop was a far from godly man. He ruled the region like a tyrant, acquiring not only great power but great wealth. He was cruel and arrogant. While the poor went hungry, Bishop Leverrier's own personal storehouses were well stocked with grain.

"Finally the people appealed to the bishop to give them food. After a week they received his response. His messenger told the people that all those who did not have the means to pay for food should gather in front of the great barn on his estate that afternoon.

"So it was that a large crowd of the starving poor appeared in front of the great barn. At the appointed time grim-faced soldiers threw open the doors to the barn and the crowd surged inside. It was dark, and at first they could see nothing. But it didn't take long to discover that instead of a barn filled with sacks of grain for the taking, this barn was completely empty. Before the disappointment and shock really set in, the soldiers closed the heavy doors of the barn, trapping the crowd inside."

Here Allen paused to look the others in the eyes to show the seriousness of the story before he continued. "The true horror of their situation dawned on people only when they began to smell smoke and hear the crackling of flames. The bishop's men had set fire to the barn. All of those trapped inside were killed."

Lenalee couldn't contain the gasp that escaped her at the thought of all of those people dying in such a horrible fashion. Kanda's frown seemed more genuine and even Lavi's face showed no humor at the moment.

"Bishop Leverrier reasoned that he did not have enough grain to feed all the starving people, and that they would probably have died anyway. In the meantime they would have become a dangerous and rebellious rabble, who might well have robbed him of his own stocks of food, which would have only prolonged their miserable lives for a few days or weeks. It was a hard decision, the bishop thought, but powerful men often have to make hard decisions.

"So it was a relatively untroubled Bishop Leverrier who went to sleep on the night of the massacre. And it was a well-rested and placed Bishop Leverrier who ate breakfast the next morning. But his serenity was soon to be shattered. As he entered the great hall of the Bishop's Palace, he saw that his own recently painted portrait was now in shreds. Who could have committed such an outrage?"

Here Allen once again gained his audiences eyes making sure that they stayed riveted on the story's progress.

"When the bishop approached the tattered picture, several large rats jumped out from behind the frame, it was the rats that had destroyed the canvas.

"That was just the beginning. Messengers told Leverrier that a horde of hungry rats had descended upon the area, destroying his fields and all of the grain that he had stored in his warehouses.

"From the window of his palace Leverrier could see an army of the rodents moving towards his palace. They were already close enough for him to hear their high-pitched squeaking. The rats that had destroyed his portrait were only an advance guard—scouts for the invasion to come.

"Though terrified by the sight Leverrier was a man of action, and he formed a plan. On a small island in the middle of the Rhine was a stone tower. He had occasionally used the tower as a summer retreat. Here, he reasoned, he would be safe from the marauding rats.

"He snuck out of his palace by a back exit and followed a path down to the river. A waiting boatman took him to the island and the bishop wasted no time scrambling to the top room in the tower and locking the door. There he collapsed in near exhaustion."

Another great gust of wind broke the pacing of the story as they all shivered and huddled tighter to the fire in an attempt to stave off the chill of the night. As the wind died down Allen resumed his story.

"He did not rest long. Soon the sound of the squeaking and scrambling of thousands of rats reached his ears. Unwillingly he looked out the window. The rats were there. Wave after wave of them was swimming across the river to the island.

"At first the rat army paused at the foot of the sheer tower, and the bishop had a moment of hope, but only a moment. Rats began scrambling up the tower walls, finding secure holds for their tiny claws in the rough stone. They reached the top of the tower and began pouring in through the windows.

"Hours later some of the bishop's servants made their way to the top of the tower. All that remained of the once mighty Bishop Leverrier was a skeleton picked clean of all of its flesh. The plague of rats was gone—disappearing as suddenly as it had come.

"Some said that the rats had simply eaten their fill, and then gone back into the holes and burrows from which they had come. Others were convinced that the rats that had destroyed Bishop Leverrier's grain, and Bishop Leverrier himself, had been no ordinary rats. They believed that the rats were a Divine punishment for the horrible crime he had committed."

Allen concluded his story to the light sound of the branches clicking against each other in a way reminiscent of rat claws and the others tried to suppress another shiver, one that had nothing to do with the wind.

"That was pretty good, Allen." Lavi said with a bit of pride.

"Yes, your story sent shivers up my spine." Lenalee confessed while giving another more theatrical shiver as a point.

"Hn, not bad." Was Kanda's only response.

"I can't take all of the credit. Most people don't like stories that deal with rats, so I'm sure that element helped to make it creepier." Allen spoke modestly but he was secretly quite happy with their praise, he was also quite pleased with the fact that he wasn't interrupted as often as the others where, of course he overlooked that it could be because the one who created the most interruptions was himself.

0.o

"Hey, I'm tired do you guys think anyone is coming?" Allen asked.

"I don't know but I hope so," Lenalee's voice was quite while Lavi's only response was to shrug. Not hearing a response from Kanda Allen focused on his face and in the last light of the fire saw that he had tilted his head and seemed to be listening over his shoulder.

"Hey Kanda, what's wrong?"

Not receiving a reply Lavi decided to press further, "do you hear something?"

"Yes," came Kanda's terse reply.

"Really?" Allen practically shouted as he jumped up and, not noticing the looks that passed between the others, headed towards Kanda.

After the fire finally gave its last light Allen now noticed the flashes of red that bounced faintly off the surrounding trees and as he arrived at Kanda's side he could also hear voices talking indistinctly.

"Hey Allen-"

Allen didn't really listen as he gripped his arm tightly at the increased throbbing he felt and fought off the sudden dizziness that he attributed to the jarring that occurred as he leapt so quickly to his feet to race towards Kanda.

"Please Allen listen to us," Lenalee began with a soft voice.

Gazing over the hill Allen could now see that there was a cop car and ambulance and a tow truck surrounding their car.

"Come on guys! Help's finally here!" Not being able to contain his joy Allen barely even looked to see if the others were joining him as he took off.

"Sorry Allen-" Lavi and Lenalee began as they stood together and made no move to join him.

"We can't go with you," Kanda concluded in a voice softer than Allen had ever heard from him before.

Allen felt the blood rush from his face as he took in the scene before him and as voices seemed to echo in his mind he finally succumbed and let the darkness claim him.

0.o

"_Come on, dammit breathe."_

"_It's not use, there's no pulse."_

"_This one's stable let's get him out of here."_

0.o

When Allen opened his eyes the first thing that he noticed was a white ceiling, the second thing he noticed was the cast that covered his left arm.

As the morning wore on and he sat up in his bed, Allen still hadn't spoken and continued to ignore the questions that the doctors and the few cops asked. He was too preoccupied with the events of last night that were still fresh but confused in his mind.

Later as he listlessly picked through the food on his plate he listened vaguely to the TV that one of the nurses had left on for him and tears slowly fell down his face when a story on the news caught his attention.

"_In local news the Halloween holiday was kicked off on a tragic note when a car crash in the Black Woods took the lives of three people last night. The group was apparently headed for a party at the Bookman Mansion. There was only one known survivor, who is listed in severe but stable condition. In national news…"_

0.o

A/N: The powerful and rich man in the beginning of this story was actually a man named Bishop Hatto of Mantz.

Yes, Allen was talking with the ghosts of his friends. They were dead from the beginning and stuck around to keep him company until help came. All that happened was part of his "near-death" experience. I hope that it wasn't too confusing.

That's all there is, I hope that it was a worthy tribute to Halloween. For readers of Spiral I've got the first half of chapter three done and will try to finish the rest and get it posted as soon as possible. Happy Halloween.


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